This new Audi Q5, painted in prototype black and wearing flares on its fenders, isn't hiding some secret new RSQ5 model. It's hiding something even more clever. In fact, it's not an Audi at all, but it is the next-generation Porsche Macan. We aren't talking about the electric one, either.This is our first real look at the combustion-powered model that will show up alongside it. Though we'll admit that first look is a little off here, since it's wearing an Audi suit. This Porsche Is Trying To Hide Behind Four Rings CarBuzz/Valnet The CarBuzz spies snapped this one testing up north. It looks just like the new Q5, but there are a few good reasons for that and a few giveaways that let us know it's a Porsche. The main clue is the license plate. German plates let you know where the car is from, so Audi vehicles all get IN for Ingolstadt. Porsche is from Stuttgart, which normally gets an S plate. This prototype has neither, but its Leonberg plate is for that city just outside of Stuttgart. It's no coincidence.Another tell is that Porsche and other VW Group models have done this before. Last year, Porsche brought a previous-generation Q5 north for testing that probably wasn't really a Q5. Bentley has used disguised Cayenne SUVs for its own tests.CarBuzz/Valnet This prototype for the new Macan sits slightly higher than a Q5. It's also wider, thanks to those fender flares. Those flares aren't for keeping down the rocks and mud from all-terrain tires, they're there to cover the performance rubber Porsche will be fitting. Along with wider fenders that actually cover the tires.Using a new Q5 for the test mule makes it quite clear that the new gas Macan – which will probably get a new name – will use the same Volkswagen Group Premium Platform Combustion architecture. That platform currently supports 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 3.0-liter V6 gas engines. Audi also has a plug-in hybrid, and based on the high voltage warning stickers on this prototype, you're looking at Porsche's PHEV.The prototype is still mostly Audi, at least the parts we can see. That includes Audi's interior. Expect more test vehicles to come, later this year, with Porsche-specific bodywork and cabins. Our spies will be there to snap them as soon as possible. New Gas Macan Confirmed For 2028 CarBuzz/Valnet Porsche confirmed in early 2025 that a gas-powered Macan replacement would arrive in 2028. The German brand has expected its sales to be more than 80% EV by 2030, but that pace has been out of the question for some time.As part of the target, Porsche moved to an all-electric Macan. Demand seems to have plateaued for that model, and so during the company's earnings call, it said that gas would be coming back.We don't know much more about the model than that, but we do know there will be a gap. The current combustion Macan is still in production, but that isn't expected to extend past the end of 2026. Porsche also had plans to make the 718 Boxster and Cayman fully electric, a move that should already have happened. It's no longer clear if the electric model will actually go on sale. Instead, Porsche has extended the current gas vehicles, and there will be new ones. Eventually.Porsche Macan Mule 8
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